THE TURF 69 



lost equality; till finding all his efforts in- 

 effectual, he made one sudden spring, and 

 caught Elephant by the under jaw, which 

 he gripped so violently as to hold him 

 back; nor was it without the utmost diffi- 

 culty that he could be forced to quit his 

 hold. Poor Forester! he lost, but he lost 

 most honourably. Every experienced groom 

 thought it a most extraordinary circum- 

 stance. 7 



Of the stable discipline among the boys, 

 Holcroft gives the following little speci- 

 men : 



*I remember to have been so punished 

 once, with an ashen stick, for falling asleep 

 in my horse's stall, that the blow, I con- 

 cluded, was given by Tom Watson, as I 

 thought no other boy in the stable could 

 have made so large a wale ; it reached from 

 the knee to the instep, and was of the 

 finger's breadth. 7 



We conclude our extracts from this amus- 

 ing history of a stable-boy's progress, with 

 something like a shot at the march of the 

 present very refined times : 



'I ought to mention, that though I have 

 spoken of Mr. Johnstone, and may do of 



